The Elephanta Caves are a
collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva They
are on Elephanta Island,
or Gharapuri , in Mumbai Harbour,
10 kilometres east of Mumbai in
the Indian state of Mahārāshtra. The island, about 2
kilometres west of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, consists of
five Hindu caves, a few Buddhist stupa
mounds that date back to the 2nd century BCE, and two Buddhist caves with
water tanks.The Elephanta Caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, mostly in
high relief,
that show syncretism of Hindu and Buddhist ideas and iconography. The
caves are hewn from solid basalt rock.
Except for a few exceptions, much of the artwork is defaced and damaged.The
main temple's orientation as well as the relative location of other temples are
placed in a mandala pattern. The carvings
narrate Hindu mythologies, with the large monolithic 20 feet Trimurti Sadashiva
(three-faced Shiva), Nataraja (Lord of dance) and Yogishvara (Lord of Yoga)
being the most celebrated.These date to between the 5th and 9th centuries, and
scholars attribute them to various Hindu dynasties.They are most commonly
placed between the 5th and 7th centuries. Many scholars consider them to have
been completed by about 550 CE.
The Trimurti is
considered a masterpiece and the most important sculpture in the caves.It is
carved in relief on the south wall of the cave facing the north entrance, along
the north–south axis. It is also known
as Sadashiva and Maheshmurti. The image, 6 m in height, depicts a three-headed Shiva,
representing Panchamukha Shiva.The three heads represent three essential
aspects of Shiva: creation, protection, and destruction. As per another
version, the three heads symbolize compassion and wisdom. The right
half-face (west face) shows him holding a lotus bud, depicting the promise of
life and creativity. This face is symbolism for Brahma, the creator or Uma or Vamadeva,
the feminine side of Shiva and creator.This is Shiva as the terrifying Aghora
or Bhairava, the chaos creator and destroyer.This is also known as Rudra-Shiva,
the Destroyer. The central face, benign and meditative Tatpurusha, resembles
the preserver Vishnu. This is the Shiva
form as the "master of positive and negative principles of existence and
preserver of their harmony".The three-headed Shiva are his creator, preserver
and destroyer aspects in Shaivism. They are equivalently symbolism for Shiva,
Vishnu, and Brahma, they being equivalent of the three aspects found in
Shaivism.
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The building that houses the Head Office of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs in Pune is yet another legacy of the British Raj, constructed at the turn of the 19th century. This HO (Head Office) is popularly, though incorrectly, known as the GPO (General Post Office). The only two GPOs in Maharashtra are located in Mumbai and Nagpur.Built in the typical colonial style of architecture on a sprawling plot of two acres, it is in the centre of the city, a stone’s throw away from Pune Junction Railway Station and other colonial institutions, such as the District Collector's Office, Sassoon Hospital, and Central Building.
Shaniwar Wada was normally the
seven-story capital building of the Peshwas of the Maratha Empire.
It was supposed to be made entirely of stone but after the completion of the
base floor or the first story, the people of Satara complained to the Shahu
saying that a stone monument can be sanctioned and built only by the Shahu
himself and not the Peshwas. Following this,
an official letter was written to the Peshwas stating that the remaining
building had to be made of brick and not stone. Even today if you visit and see
the walls carefully, they are partly made of stone and partly by bricks. The
Wada was then completed and upon being attacked by the British Artillery 90
years later, all the top six stories collapsed leaving only the stone base,
which was immune to the British artillery. Hence only the stone base of the
Shaniwar Wada remains and can be seen even today in the older parts of Pune.
The Vithoba Temple, officially
known as Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir , is a Hindu temple in Pandharpur, in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
It is the main centre of worship for Vithoba, a form of the god Vishnu or Krishna,
and his consort Rakhumai. The temple was
built by King Vishnuvardhana of Hoysala Empire between 1108–1152 CE
upon being convinced by the historical figure Pundalik. Also, there is an
inscription in the temple, of a Hoysala King Vira Someshwara dating back to 1237
CE, which grants the temple a village for its upkeep. It is the most
visited temple in Maharashtra.
The Warkaris start marching from their
homes to the temple of Pandharpur in groups called Dindi (procession) to
reach on Aashadhi Ekadashi and Kartiki Ekadashi. A dip in the holy
river Chandrabhaga,
on whose banks Pandharpur resides,
is believed to have power to wash all sins. All the devotees are allowed to
touch the feet of the idol of Vithoba. In May 2014, the temple became the first
in India to invite women and people from backward classes as priests.Although
parts of the temple date to the 12th or 13th centuries, the existing structure
mainly dates to the 17th century or later, and reflects the later Deccan style,
with dome motifs and lobed arches.
The Chand Minar or
the Tower of the Moon is a medieval tower in Daulatabad,
India. The tower is located in the state of Maharashtra near
the Daulatabad-Deogiri fort complex. It was erected in 1445 C.E by King Ala-ud-din Bahmani to
commemorate his capture of the fort. Chand Minar bears resemblance to the Qutb Minar of Delhi and was inspired
from it.The Chand Minar is considered to be among the finest specimens of Indo-Islamic architecture in
Southern India. It is 63 metres high and is divided into 4 storeys and 24
chambers. A small mosque or praying hall sits at the base of the tower, which
is covered with Persian blue tiles. The Tower also displays some indigenous
Indian architectural features such as the brackets supporting its
balconies The tower's height makes it visible from every corner of the
Daulatabad Fort.
The Kailasha or Kailashanatha
temple is the largest of the rock-cut Hindu temples at
the Ellora Caves, Aurangabad District, Maharashtra,
India. A megalith carved
from a rock cliff face, it is considered one of the most remarkable cave temples in
the world because of its size, architecture and sculptural treatment, and
"the climax of the rock-cut phase of Indian architecture". The top
of the superstructure over the sanctuary is 32.6 metres above the level of the court
below, although the rock face slopes downwards from the rear of the temple
to the front. Archaeologists believe it is made from a single rock.The Kailasa
temple (Cave 16) is the largest of the 34 Buddhist, Jain and Hindu cave
temples and monasteries known
collectively as the Ellora Caves,
ranging for over two kilometres along
the sloping basalt cliff
at the site.Most of the excavation of the temple is generally attributed to the
eighth century Rashtrakuta king Krishna I (r. c. 756 – 773),with some elements completed later. The temple architecture shows traces
of Pallava & Chalukya styles.
The temple contains a number of relief and
free-standing sculptures on a grand scale equal to the architecture, though
only traces remain of the paintings which originally decorated it.
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Cave 16, known as the Kailasa temple,
is a particularly notable cave temple in India as a result of its size,
architecture and having been entirely carved out of a single rock. The Kailasha
temple, inspired by Mount Kailasha, is dedicated to Shiva.It
is modeled along similar lines to other Hindu temples with a gateway, an
assembly hall, a multi-storey main temple surrounded by numerous shrines laid
out according to the square principle, an integrated space for
circumambulation, a garbha-grihya (sanctum sanctorum) wherein resides the
linga-yoni, and a spire-shaped like Mount Kailash – all carved from one rock. Other
shrines carved from the same rock are dedicated to Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, the ten avatars of Vishnu, Vedic gods and goddesses including
Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya and Usha, as well as non-Vedic deities like
Ganesha, Ardhanarishvara (half
Shiva, half Parvati), Harihara (half Shiva,
half Vishnu), Annapurna, Durga and others.The basement level of the temple
features numerous Shaiva, Vaishnava and Shakti works; a notable set of carvings
include the twelve episodes from the childhood of Krishna, an important element of
Vaishnavism.
Ajanta Caves Entrance - Cave 26 is a
worship hall (chaityagriha, 25.34 × 11.52 m) similar in plan to Cave 19. It is
much larger and with elements of a vihara design. An inscription states that a
monk Buddhabhadra and his friend minister serving king of Asmaka gifted this
vast cave. The inscription includes a vision statement and the aim to make
"a memorial on the mountain that will endure for as long as the moon and
the sun continue", translates Walter Spink.It is likely that the builders
focussed on sculpture, rather than paintings, in Cave 26 because they believed
stone sculpture will far more endure than paintings on the wall. The cave drew
upon the experiences in building Cave 10, with attached wings similar to the
ancient Cave 12 Hinayana-style vihara. The Cave 26 complex has two upper
stories and it shows evidence that four wings of the cave were planned, but
these were abandoned and only the carved Buddhas on the right and left wall
were completed.
Ajanta Caves Entrance - Cave 19 is a
worship hall (chaitya griha, 16.05 × 7.09 m) datable to the fifth century CE.
The hall shows painted Buddha, depicted in different postures.This worship hall
is now visited through what was previously a carved room. The presence of this
room before the hall suggests that the original plan included a mandala style
courtyard for devotees to gather and wait, an entrance and facade to this
courtyard, all of whose ruins are now lost to history. Cave 19 is one of
the caves known for its sculpture. It includes Naga figures with a serpent canopy
protecting the Buddha, similar to those found for spiritual icons in the
ancient Jain and Hindu traditions. It includes Yaksha dvarapala images on
the side of its vatayana, flying couples, sitting Buddha, standing Buddhas
and evidence that its ceiling was once painted.
Shaddanta Jataka: six-tusked elephant
giving away his tusks
Cave 17 (34.5 m × 25.63 m) along
with Cave 16 with two great stone elephants at the entrance and Cave 26 with
sleeping Buddha, were some of the many caves sponsored by the Hindu Vakataka
prime minister Varahadeva. Cave 17 had additional donors such as the local
king Upendragupta, as evidenced by the inscription therein.The cave features a
large and most sophisticated vihara design, along with some of the
best-preserved and well-known paintings of all the caves. While Cave 16 is known
for depicting the life stories of the Buddha, the Cave 17 paintings has
attracted much attention for extolling human virtues by narrating the Jataka
tales. The narration includes attention to details and a realism
which Stella
Kramrisch calls "lavish elegance" accomplished by
efficient craftsmen. The ancient artists, states Kramrisch, tried to show wind
passing over a crop by showing it bending in waves, and a similar profusion of
rhythmic sequences that unroll story after story, visually presenting the
metaphysical.
Lonar Lake lies within the only
known extraterrestrial impact crater found within the great Deccan Traps, a
huge basaltic formation in India.The lake was initially believed to be of volcanic
origin, but now it is recognized as an impact crater. Lonar Lake was created by
the impact of either a comet or of an asteroid. The presence of plagioclase
that has been either converted into maskelynite
or contains planar deformation features has confirmed the impact origin of this
crater. It is believed that only shock metamorphism caused by a hypervelocity
impact can transform plagioclase into maskelynite, or create planar deformation
features. The presence of impact deformation of basalt layers comprising the
rim, of shocked breccia
inside the crater, of shatter cones, and of the non-volcanic ejecta blanket
surrounding the crater all support the impact origin of Lonar Lake.
The Government Post Office building
in Nagpur completes its 100 years of existence in 2016. As part of the centenary celebrations of the British era heritage structure The main building is basically a load bearing structure having brick walls,
steel columns, beams and ribs encased in lime concrete with a pitched roof in
country tiles and battens. By contrast, the exterior has wide verandas, Tuscan
columns, stone screens and a Roman arch topped by a pavilion of 12 columns
supporting a clock tower.Once the seat of the erstwhile Post Master General of
Central Provinces and Berar, the GPO at Nagpur is considered to be the mother
institution in the postal circle of Central Provinces. In 1965, this office
came under the jurisprudence of the Post Master General of Maharashtra
circle.
Deekshabhoomi is a sacred monument of Navayana Buddhism located at Nagpur city in Maharashtra state of India, where Dr. B. R. Ambedkar,embraced Buddhism with approximately 600,000 of his followers mainly scheduled caste peoples on Ashoka Vijaya Dashami on 14 October 1956.Ambedkar revived Buddhism in India. Ambedkar's conversion to Buddhism is deeply significant for millions of people in India.According to the 2011 India census, more than 87% of the total Buddhist population in India are Ambedkarite Buddhists.Millions of pilgrims visit Deekshabhoomi every year,especially on Dhamma Chakra Pravartan Din ie Samrat Ashoka vijaya dashmi ("Mass Conversion Ceremony Day") and 14 October, the memorial day when B.R.Ambedkar embraced and converted to Buddhism here. His final religious act was to embrace Buddhism and envisioned making India The Buddhist nation a prabuddha Bharat Today, the largest stupa in the world is erected in his memory at the site.
